Blake Hall
One of the 11 men from the Marine Special Operations Command (MARSOC) killed in the tragic helicopter accident off the coast of Florida a month ago was laid to rest during a rainy military funeral at Arlington National Cemetery in Virginia Monday.
Marine Staff Sgt. Andrew Seif perished in the crash that’s being blamed on heavy fog exactly one week after being awarded the Navy’s third-highest recognition for valor — the Silver Star — an honor that wasn’t the first in the decorated service member’s distinguished yet all-too-short military career.
In 2013 Seif was named the USO’s “Marine of the Year” after his heroic actions during a July 2012 mission in Afghanistan, a bout of combat that saw him lose his closest friend, Sgt. Justin Hansen.
He was buried in Section 60 of the hallowed burial ground, along with others lost fighting in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
In a sterling show of courage and support, the wives of all the service members killed in the disaster (Marines, Army soldiers and Louisiana National Guardsmen) have traveled to each funeral service together, easing one another’s pain through solidarity.
Staff Sgt. Seif’s widow, Dawn, is pregnant with their first child. She is due in August.